


The Next Ten Minutes

by LicieOIC



Series: The Musical Theatre AU's [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2014-01-27
Packaged: 2018-01-10 05:06:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1155447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LicieOIC/pseuds/LicieOIC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after Rose and the Metacrisis Doctor were dropped off at Bad Wolf Bay, the Doctor brings her back to the beach to give a sad place a happy memory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Next Ten Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by and based on a song of the same title from "The Last Five Years."

She knew something was up a week before it happened because he got twitchy and excited when she said she’d gotten them the day off like he’d asked. She thought they might do something special that day, it was a full year since they’d both been left in the alternate universe, bound by the one word that meant everything... _Together._ Because she knew the other three he’d whispered, of course she did.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was him dressing in the old blue suit (with an Oxford and tie, rather than just a t-shirt) and taking them on a zeppelin ride up to that bloody beach one more time. He gave her the look that said _trust me_ as he held out his hand to her, wiggling his fingers enticingly. And of course she did trust him. So, she slid her palm across his, locking their fingers together, and he’d pulled her out of the zep and down the pavement toward the sand.

The beach didn’t look any different, except it was sunset this time around, painting the wet sand in streaks of crimson and orange. He led her over to a rock with a flat top, mere feet from where the square imprint of the most magnificent ship in the universe had been a year ago. With a flourish, he pulled a small rolled up blanket from the bigger-on-the-inside pockets and laid it on the rock before helping her to sit like the gallant gentleman he was.

He sat down beside her, locking their hands together once again, pressed hip to hip, their legs stretched out in front of them. The sunset picked out strands of vibrant red and gold in his chocolate hair and turned his dark eyes a bright amber. She nudged his shoulder with her own because she knew he had something he wanted to say, must have had some reason for bringing them all the way out there, and still he waited. He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, but of course, the wind off the water made a mess of her hair anyway.

“You know I don’t like us working for Torchwood,” he said, at last.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Doctor, you didn’t drag me all the way to Norway to bring up this old argument, did you?”

He laughed lightly. “No. I wanted to admit that, even though part of me still doesn’t like it, the other part of me enjoys saving the world with you. Like always.” He smiled. “It’s dangerous, of course, but we make quite the team.”

“Like always,” she said, having known this for a long time.

He nodded, conceding her point. “But it’s different now.”

Her eyes saddened. “Because you’re stuck here.”

To her surprise, he shook his head. “Nope,” he said, popping his ‘p.’ “I think a very smart woman once said, ‘Stuck with you, that’s not so bad.’ Well, I have it on very good authority, Rose Tyler, that stuck with you is bloody brilliant.” He grinned, provoking an answering smile from her.

“All right,” she said. “So then, what’s different?”

“This time...” He paused and took a deep breath. “This time, even though we’re both in danger on a bi-weekly basis, I’m not going to be a coward.” He reached into his pocket again, this time retrieving a small red velvet box.

Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes darting from the box to his face. Although he’d said he wasn’t going to be cowardly, she could see how nervous he was in the faint tremor of his hand, the way his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. Slowly, he lifted the lid of the hinged box to reveal a beautiful square cut diamond, winking at her in the waning light of day. Her heart slammed in her chest.

“Will you share your life with me for the next ten minutes?” he asked, softly. “Just the next ten minutes. We can handle that.” He gestured out to the ocean, but never took his eyes from her face. “We could watch the waves or the sunset or just... sit and wait. Let the time go by. I can tell you the exact moment the ten minutes are up.” He tapped the side of his head. “Still part Time Lord and all.” She smiled at that. “And if we, you know, make it until then... could I ask you, again,” he added with a little laugh, “for another ten?”

He swallowed thickly, then continued, “And if you, in turn, agree to the next ten minutes, and the next ten minutes after that, and the next and the next until morning comes, then just... holding you,” his voice broke, “might compel me to ask you for more.” He touched her cheek with his free hand, running his thumb gently down the curve of her face, his expression exquisitely tender. “There are so many lives I want to share with you,” he said, wonder in his tone. “But now I’ve only got one. And it’s yours. If you want it.”

He waited, his breath coming a bit fast, for her answer. She worried her bottom lip a bit, emotions running tumultuously through her. “I’m not always on time,” she said. He looked a bit startled, but didn’t interrupt. “Please don’t expect me to be. I’m late to so many things, but if you can be patient with me, I will eventually get there. I’m not proud of the fact,” she said with a self-depreciating smile, “but anything other than being exactly on time I can do.”

She placed her hand over the box with the ring, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “I don’t know why we ran for so long. I don’t know how I survived in this world without you.” She took a breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “You could protect yourself, preserve the friendship, you know,” she said, in a strained voice. “Or I could say no. Or we could say goodbye.”

“But why, Rose?” he asked and she looked back up at him. “Why would we do that now?” His eyes were serious as he held her gaze. “That’s why I brought us back here. Because I meant what I said that day. I love you, Rose Tyler. Will you allow me to show you how much, every day that we’re given together, here, in this universe?”

Her tears overflowed and she grabbed him by the jacket to pull him into her arms. “Yes, of course, yes,” she said. “I want to be your wife. I want to bear your child. I want to die knowing I had a long, full life in your arms.”

She felt him smile against her neck and his hand trailed through her messy hair. “That I can do.”

Pulling back, he slipped the ring on her finger and cupped her face with his cold hands to kiss her, their lips sliding across each other’s, meeting and parting and coming together again, warm breath on their faces.

“Forever,” she whispered against his mouth, calling up the memory of when he’d asked her how long she was going to stay with him. Their ‘forevers’ hadn’t matched up then. But they could now. And his one, solitary, human heart soared.

“I might not have another ten lifetimes,” he said. “Or a million summers. And we won’t get to see the sun expand again.” She giggled, remembering their ‘first date.’ “But I will love you until there’s no one left who has ever known us apart.” He held her tighter, tucking her head beneath his chin. “There are so many dreams I need to see with you. I will never be complete until I do.”

“I do,” she repeated, and she felt a shiver course through him.

“I do,” he breathed.

She tilted her head up and found his mouth with her own, kissing him with every shred of love she felt for this man. He’d been born out of love and reborn in battle, he’d once had the universe at his feet, and yet chose to build the stars within her, in their life... _together._


End file.
